• If it isn’t broken, why fix it?
• Many businesses can be run entirely within a web browser these days which limits the demands on the OS.
• Will the new OS features really help your bottom line?
• An OS upgrade may force you to upgrade your hardware if you can’t find new device drivers.

But, it is important to realize that upgrading to a new OS will usually give you improved security.

Be aware that if you want to keep getting support updates you will need to upgrade to XP3.

You can find the article here
XP is Dead. Long Live XP Support

While all the choices can be difficult to navigate, these options allow businesses more flexibility than ever before to meet business needs. But which option should a business choose?

Check out our guide How to Run Your Software: In-House vs. Online vs. Outsourced for a list of the pros and cons. Because how you run your software is such a fundamental decision, you will find that each of our solution overviews will present both in-house applications and online applications (where appropriate) for each solution. However, implementation shouldn’t be your first consideration, check your business needs first.

As Google’s Gmail blog pointed out, the Gmail service still adhered to being operational 99.9% of the time.  Do you think you can do better in-house for the price?

To put 99.9% uptime in perspective, the approximate downtimes for 0.1% are listed below.

A Few Questions to Ask Yourself

• How much will an outage cost my business?
• How can I get work done when there is an Internet or Internet application outage?
• Do I have a copy of my data for reference when there is an outage?
• Do I need more uptime?
• How can I get more uptime and what is the cost?

You can read Google’s response to the outage here.
More on today’s Gmail issue

Additional Info
Source: Wikipedia Uptime

Source: Lifehacker Back up your Google Apps data

Related TechShortcut Info
How to Run Your Software? In-House vs. Online vs. Outsourced

Research Helper–Outage

You were probably just getting used to terms like application service provider (ASP), hosted application, on-line application and software as a service (SaaS) when along comes the term “cloud.”

A picture of a “cloud” to represent the Internet has been used in diagrams for years and is akin to the term “black box.” The underlying concept is the same for all the above terms—your application processing and/or data reside outside of your company.

What is different about the term “cloud” compared to the other terms listed above is that it has become associated with technology advancements like virtualization that have made the ability to run services on the Internet more efficiently and add additional computing resources more dynamically. Internet-based applications or services are taking advantage of these efficiencies which means that your data already on the Internet may be in the cloud.

Additional Information

Source: Wikipedia

Cloud computing

Related TechShortcut Articles

How to Run Your Software?

In-House vs. Online vs. Outsourced

Use TechShortcut’s Research Helper to find out more about cloud computing

Cloud Computing

A friend of mine connected to a business owner’s Wi-Fi network a few weeks ago and was startled see his computer and shared folders listed in the business owner’s “My Network Places” view in Windows Explorer while he was helping him do some configuration. He usually switches off “file and printer sharing” but he obviously forgot to do that before connecting to the hotspot.

If you are on Windows XP or Vista, you should always ensure that “file and printer sharing” is unchecked because it is possible for shared folders to be accessed by others.

Tips for Increasing Your Security

1. Before connecting to a public hotspot using Windows XP or Vista, update your firewall or wireless network adapter to disable “File and Printer Sharing.”While you can turn off “file and printer sharing” on your wireless network adapter properties, the simplest way to disable “file and printer sharing” is to go to “Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall.” Ensure that the firewall is set to “On” and that “Don’t allow exceptions” is also checked. “File and printer sharing” is normally listed as an exception so by disabling all exceptions you also disable “file and printer sharing.”When you get back to your office or home network all you need to do is uncheck “don’t allow exceptions” and you will be able to share files with others on your trusted network.
2. Never, enter a credit card number while connected to a hotspot.
3. Don’t use a hotspot for banking or other sensitive transactions.
4. Don’t connect to any “unsecured” networks. These networks offer no encyption so any data sent from your computer can be intercepted and read unless the website you are communicating with is using https.
5. Ensure you have Anti-Malware software and your operating system has current updates.
6. Turn off your computer’s wireless networking when not in use.

More Helpful Information

Source: Microsoft
7 tips for working securely from wireless hotspots

Source: Wi-Fi Planet
Wi-Fi Security Issues Up Close

Use TechShortcut’s Research Helper to find out more about wireless network security
Wireless Hotspot Security

I spent several hours with a store owner yesterday trying to help him regain control over his laptop so he could backup data in case he needs to do a full reinstall of his computer. 

We were able to stop the program in Windows XP using Task Manager, delete key files and install real anti-malware programs to remove other remaining infected files and backup key data through an online backup service. The store owner’s computer is running OK for some programs but he still cannot read or write files via DVD or USB devices, and so the cleaning process goes on.

To prevent a similar incident with your computer, remember the following:

1. Routinely backup your data
2. Keep your computer protected with anti-virus/anti-malware software and a firewall.
3. Use a pop-up blocker in your web browser
4. Make sure your operating system is set to download and install automatic updates.
5. Consider adding an Internet filter to limit the websites users can visit, thus minimizing esposure to threats.
6. Only install software from trusted sources like CNET’s download.com
7. If you are suspicious of a program and you are running Windows, you can use Task Manager to end the application.

Malware removal can be very time consuming and unpredictable if you do it yourself. Finding a local technician that performs spyware removal frequently may save you time and money. If you do decide to do the removal yourself, make sure to write down as much information as possible about what you see to help you search the Internet to identify the malware.

Related Solution Overviews:

• Backup
• Anti-Malware
• Internet Filter